Ancient Nalanda University

• India has ancient universities

Ancient Nalanda University

• Nalanda in Bihar, India, existed as a center of higher learning from 427 to 1197 AD
• The university was established in the 5th century AD
• Nalanda stood near the southern border of Nepal
• Nalanda was devoted to Buddhist studies
• Students could study fine arts, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, politics, and the art of war
• Nalanda had eight separate compounds
• The compounds included 10 temples, meditation halls, classrooms, lakes, and parks
• The university housed a nine-story library
• Monks copied books and documents
• Individual scholars had their own collections
• It had dormitories for students
• 10,000 students lived at the university during its peak
• There were accommodations for 2,000 professors
• Students came from Korea, Japan, China, Tibet, Indonesia, Persia, and Turkey
• Nalanda is a half-hour bus ride from Rajgir
• Nalanda is considered the world's first university.
• It was a pilgrimage destination from the 1st Century AD
• The Buddha often visited the site
• Two of Buddha's chief disciples, Sariputra and Moggallana, came from the area
• The large stupa is Sariputra's Stupa, marking where his relics are entombed and where he was supposedly born
• The site has small monasteries where monks lived and studied
• Many monasteries were rebuilt over the centuries
• One of the cells belonged to Naropa
• Naropa helped spread Buddism to Tibet
• Other Nalanda figures were Shantirakshita and Padmasambhava
• A tiny room in the cell is where Naropa supposedly meditated
• Nalanda's importance comes from its Buddhist roots as a center of learning
• Hsuan Tsang from China studied and taught there for 5 years in the 7th Century AD
• Nalanda University had over 10,000 students and 3,000 teachers at that time
• Nalanda was a center of scholarship and Buddhist studies in the ancient world for 700 years between the 5th and 12th centuries
• A fire wiped out the library of over 9 million manuscripts
• A Muslim invader, Bakhtiyar Khalji, sacked the university at the beginning of the 12th Century
• Alexander Cunningham identified the site as Nalanda University in the 1860s
• The Archeological Survey of India began excavations of the site in 1915-1916
• Only a small part of the entire site has been excavated to date
• Much of the ruins are beneath existing villages and are unlikely to be revealed
• A small museum with excellent Buddhist statues is across the street
• A temple dedicated to Hsuan Tsang is about a kilometer away
• The International Centre for Buddhist Studies and the Nava Nalanda Mahivihara, are set up for Buddhist research

Ancient Takshashila University

• Takshashila was an early Buddhist center of learning dating back to at least the 5th century BC
• Some scholars date Takshashila's existence back to the 6th century BC
• Takshashila is described in Jātaka tales around the 5th century AD
• It was a noted center of learning several centuries before Christ
• It continued to attract students until the city's destruction in the 5th century AD
• Takshashila is known for its association with Chanakya
• The Arthashastra by Chanakya was composed there
• Chanakya (also known as Kautilya), the Maurya Emperor Chandragupta, and the Ayurvedic healer Charaka studied at Taxila
• Students entered Takshashila at age sixteen
• The school taught the Vedas and the Eighteen Arts
• Students could study skills such as archery, hunting, and elephant lore
• Students could study law, medicine, and military science
• The ruins of Taxila include buildings and Buddhist stupas
• The ruins are divided into three major cities, each from a distinct time period
• The oldest is the Hathial area, dating between the 6th century BCE and the late 2nd millennium BCE
• Bhir Mound dates from the 6th century BCE
• The second city of Taxila is located at Sirkap dating to the 2nd century BCE
• Sirkap was built by Greco-Bactrian kings
• The third city of Taxila is at Sirsukh and relates to the Kushan kings
• Ruins in the Taxila area include ruins of the stupa at Dharmarajika, the monastery at Jaulian, the monastery at Mohra Muradu, in addition to stupas
• Legend says Takṣa, an ancient king founded Takṣaśilā which was Takṣa Khanda
• Sanskrit Takṣaśilā, contains the suffix śilā which means stone
• The prefix Takṣa alludes to Takṣa, son of Bharata and Mandavi, as related in the Ramayana
• The Kuru heir Parikṣit was enthroned at Takṣaśilā
• The Mahabharata was first recited at Takṣaśilā by Vaishampayana, a disciple of Vyasa
• The recitation occurred at the sarpa satra yajna, "Snake Sacrifice ceremony" of Parikṣit's son Janamejaya
• Takṣaśilā is related to Takşaka, "carpenter" and is an alternative name for the Nāgas of ancient India
• Takshashila is considered a place of religious and historical sanctity by Hindus and Buddhists
• Takshashila was the seat of Vedic learning
• Chanakya, a senior teacher there, helped consolidate the empire of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya
• The Mahāyāna sect of Buddhism took shape there.

Other Universities in India

• Odantapuri was in Bihar (circa 550 - 1040)
• Somapura was in Bangladesh (from the Gupta period to the Muslim conquest)
• Jagaddala was in Bengal (from the Pala period to the Muslim conquest)
• Nagarjunakonda was in Andhra Pradesh
• Vikramaśīla was in Bihar (circa 800-1040)
• Sharada Peeth was in modern day Kashmir
• Valabhi was in Gujarat (from the Maitrak period to the Arab raids)
• Varanasi was in Uttar Pradesh (8th century to modern times)
• Kanchipuram was in Tamil Nadu
• Manyakheta was in Karnataka
• Puspagiri was in Orissa
• Ratnagiri was in Orissa
• Sunethradevi Pirivena was in Sri Lanka, founded circa 1415 AD